Tips to Build Your Professional Reputation

We hear it all the time, “It’s who you know.” Our future success is often shaped by networking and professional opinions. Your professional reputation can help build your career or destroy it. “Reputation is not built in a day but can be destroyed in a split second”.

Whether you are starting your first job or creating your own business, you need to start building your reputation the moment you enter the corporate world – if you truly want to make a career out of it. People will believe what others have to say about a person before they have even met them. If your name is positively recognizable, you will most likely have more opportunities. You might receive great job recommendations or invitations to contribute in esteemed teams. The fact of the matter is people are willing to help those they like and would like to be associated with.

Your professional reputation will follow you everywhere you go. If people think highly of you, you will find a world of rewards and opportunities. Here are some ways that you can boost your professional reputation:

Show respect and kindness to everyone

Being kind is different than being polite. Do you know someone who can walk into a room and immediately change the negative atmosphere? Who wouldn’t want to be that person? You should treat everyone the same way, whether you’re speaking to the doorman or the CEO. If you treat people with respect and kindness, others will notice. Be the good guy around the office. It will never hurt you.

Keep your word

Don’t go against your promises. If you tell someone you will have a task completed by the end of the day, get it done by the end of that day. Show people that they can trust you and can count on you. When your boss needs a task that needs to be done in a short amount of time, they will go to the person with iron-clad commitments. Make sure that person is you.

Work hard

This is expected of everyone in the workplace, so you may wonder how it will help you build your reputation. Look around the office. You’ll notice there are people making excuses, playing on their phones, and not making good use of their time. If you truly put in the effort, you will stand out. This doesn’t mean you have to turn into a workaholic, but it does mean you should work hard while you’re at work.

Go beyond what others expect of you

Many people don’t go above and beyond because that’s not what they’re being paid to do. However, if you regularly go beyond what’s expected of you, you will be rewarded in the long run. By doing this, you are proving your dedication to the project and the company. Just wait for those jobs offers, better and higher pay, better assignments and projects, job security, and more to start rolling in.

Create your digital footprint

It’s the digital age. If you aren’t online and on social media, you are way behind the curve. However, you can’t just let your digital presence sit there – you need to be active. What will your profile show people? Do you share educational posts? Are you a family man? Do you write long political rants and call people names in your comments when they disagree with you? Your profile is your professional brand, so make sure it is who you want to be.

Keep your personal life and your professional life separate

There are many times when your work friends might become your best friends. Remember, they are still professional colleagues. If you were given confidential information, don’t share it with your colleague just because they are your friend. If word gets out, people will think you can’t get trusted and you may even be terminated.

Look for ways to improve

There are many ways you can improve with professional work. Gain a new certification, attend a convention, or ask someone for feedback on your performance. No one can take away your knowledge and skillset. Learn as much as you can, and your value will only increase.

Build Your Business’ Reputation with the One Question Reputation App

The One Question Reputation App (OQRA) is an app that allows businesses to receive customer feedback in real time. The app consists of one question, so customers can complete the survey easily! They can also leave a text or video review if they’d like, and you should urge them to!

OQRA has helped many businesses build their online reputation because only the positive reviews get posted online. The negative reviews get sent to the manager immediately, so the manager can solve the issue in real time. Many angry customers take to the internet to write reviews, but you will have the opportunity to stop that from happening! Many times, when customers have bad experiences that were turned positive, they will write a good review and will continue to use your services.